Can Danny?

While many people complain about the suspensions of Boris Diaw and Amare Stoudamire, the precedent for this has been set time and again, and most recently in the Knicks/Nuggets brawl this season. While some can claim that the suspended Suns didn't stray to far from the bench, neither did Nene or Jerome James and they were still suspended for their lack of involvement.

The big difference between the two cases, of course, is that no brawl took place in the Suns game however does a rule change simply because Carmelo Anthony wasn't around to throw a ridiculous sucker punch to help escalate things? Personally I don't think so and I think that most people who are now bemoaning the rule really need to step back and admit that the main reason they don't want the suspensions is because they don't want a great series to be ruined. The only reason there's a gray area is because people they don't want to be suspended broke the rule.

Look for instance at Steve Kerr. About the current situation, he's sided with the Suns and wrote on Yahoo! that:

In the past, Jackson and David Stern have held firm on the rule, punishing players for merely walking onto the floor a couple of steps away from the bench. There has been no flexibility. But would the league really feel like it was doing the right thing by suspending all of those players for basically doing nothing? I understand the reason for the rule – to avoid dangerous, bench-clearing brawls – but in both of the events in Game 4, no fights were involved. There were only altercations that never amounted to anything.
Jackson and Stern should take into account that not everything is black and white. They should be subjective in their ruling on this one, but again, they haven't been before.

Now while Kerr bemoans the lack of flexibility in the rule today, he had no such qualms earlier this year. In fact, it was quite the opposite. A USA Today story went:

TNT analyst Steve Kerr agrees that fighting will never be eliminated. But he says the league reduced the incidents of fighting significantly when it began automatically suspending players who leave the bench during an altercation, even peacemakers.
"The best rule ever put in is guys can't leave the bench," Kerr says. "Altercations are easier to quell because there are only a handful (of players) to control."

Perhaps Kerr meant to speak with an asterisk to clarify that the peacemakers and guys that leave the bench shouldn't be suspended if they are stars.

ESPN's Chris Sheridan lambasted Stu Jackson for his decision. He called the decision "utterly, profoundly, alarmingly, unreasonably ridiculous" and "stupid" and even called into question Scott Skiles's mindset when he agreed with the suspension. Skiles comment? "A rule is a rule, and in the past handful of years since they put that in, there have been I think less than five, maybe less than three, but there have been a couple occasions where someone just put one foot on the floor and got suspended. So if you're going to have a hard and fast rule like that, I think you've got to abide by it, and you can't make any exceptions."

While Sheridan thought Skiles was being unreasonable for this line of thinking, it really didn't stray to far from Sheridan's own thoughts from earlier in the season when he wrote, "Jerome James of the Knicks and Nene of the Nuggets appeared to leave the bench area during the fight, a well-established no-no. Prediction: 1 game each."

Sheridan saw no gray area for James and Nene. He looked for no exceptions. The rule was to be read black-and-white as it was "well established". However, when a great NBA series is on the line, suddenly rules are simply guidelines and up for interpretation.

This is the problem with knee-jerk reactions. When you just respond to an event with the harshest of penalties, you fail to look ahead and try to figure out ways in which these rules could hinder the league in the future. Nobody in the NBA or in the press ever took time to question the rule beforehand. They never pointed out that it could potentially be a problem. And now, I'm sorry to say, it's too late to bring up those complaints. The rule has been well established and if people want to change it, they'll have to wait for the owners' meeting this offseason. But for now, Amare and Boris did the crime so they have to do the time.

---

Ironically, if the Suns want to blame someone, they have to look at themselves. While many people think that the Knicks/Heat brawl was the precursor to the rule, the automatic suspension was made law earlier, in 1993, and the incident that probably incited this rule was when Kevin Johnson jacked the Doc Rivers (and Greg Anthony came off the bench to attack Johnson). A year later, the NBA passed the rule that anyone who leaves the bench is automatically suspended. This rule came into play in the Knicks/Heat playoff brawl and rose its ugly head again this year.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:45 AM | Permalink

First Doc admits to not caring about whether his team won a game because "what do we get out of winning this game?"

Now Ryan Gomes openly states:

"I probably (would have played), but since we were in the hunt for a high draft pick, of course things are different," Gomes said. "I understand that. Hopefully things get better. Now that we clinched at least having the second-most balls in the lottery, the last three games we'll see what happens. We'll see if we can go out and finish some games."

If I'm David Stern, I don't feel so bad if I rig the lotto so the Celtics get the worst possible pick. If they aren't trying to win, then why should he try to be impartial?

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:26 AM | Permalink

Following the ridiculous loss to the Bobcats, Doc Rivers explained that what you saw against the Bobcats this Wednesday night is par for the course for good teams. Phil Jackson, he explained, can bench his starters at the end of the game and stick with the scrubs to teach them a lesson because they are contending teams (and apparently can get away with throwing a game here and there). I'm not quite sure how much I by that but that wasn't the most potentially problematic part.
Not verbatim but Doc stated at the beginning of the interview:

I was not tanking the game. I was not throwing the game. Honestly I got to a point early in the fourth quarter, where I looked at my coaches and said We're going to win or lose with this group. I got to the point that I wondered What do we get if we win this game. I was asking on the bench, what do we get if we put those guys back in, Paul and Al, and win this game. At some point, those other guys (the bench) have to play. A little bit.

"Tonight I said screw it, they're staying in. I got bad looks from some of the guys on the bench. I told them No. They aren't going in."

When a team is in the hunt for a top pick and then says something to the effect of, "What do we get out of winning this game?" there's going to be problems. David Stern can not have coaches of teams fighting for Oden and Durant. He can not have coaches admitting to not trying to win the games and intentionally holding out their best players just to teach guys at the end of the bench a lesson.
Hopefully it's nothing but this should, at the very least, draw a harsh warning from David Stern. I don't care if you're Phil Jackson or Doc Rivers, you simply can't admit to not trying your best to win a game.

Also disquieting was the fact that Doc seemed very upset at the second unit and made reference to their bitching about playing time. This brings up the question: are Bassy, Green, and Gomes really complaining THAT much about their playing time? (Doc made an exception for Leon Powe, saying he played well and wasn't part of the offending unit) Is there unrest in the locker room? Bassy is third string which can't make him happy and neither he nor Gerald can be thrilled to see Allan Ray step off the D-League bus and into crunch time minutes. Meanwhile Gomes has played well but been bounced around, losing his starting spot to, at one time or another, Perkins or Scalabrine. Could this be wearing on the young players?

Another concern (which admittedly is one for the conspiracy theorists) is that this could be the first incident in a game of chicken between Doc and Danny. Doc has one year left and doesn't want to be a lame duck coach. I can't imagine Danny wants to re-sign Doc to a long term deal but then again I can't see Wyc and friends being all that interested in firing Doc and eating his salary. So the stand-off begins: Doc wants to get an extension or get fired while Ainge wants him to coach for one year or resign. Danny holds all the cards but that doesn't mean that it couldn't get ugly.

Posted by SoulHonky at 02:42 AM | Permalink

Paul Pierce got a taste of it against Chicago. Kobe was on the wrong end of it in Philadelpha a few nights ago. There's a changing of the guard in the NBA and the stars of the 90's are about to be eclipsed by the Class of '00.

This year has been a coming out party for many young stars who finally got out from under the shadow of a veteran player. Luol Deng's all-around game is finally getting some notice. Andre Iguodala has emerged now that Allen Iverson is out of Philly. Kevin Martin has made everyone in Sacramento forget about Bonzi Wells. Chris Bosh put his imprint on Toronto in his first full season without Vince and is now making a run at first team All-NBA status. While many people saw last year's Finals, in which the elder Shaq stepped aside so Dwyane Wade could be the team leader, as an isolated incident, it is actually a sign of the times. The Class of '00 is taking over as many of the 90's stars start to reach their 30's.

Unfortunately, not everyone is taking the news very well. Andrei Kirilienko has openly complained about his role while murmurs in Phoenix are that Shawn Marion hasn't been pleased by the lack of offense and credit that he's been receiving. Unfortunately for AK-47 and The Matrix, no matter where they go, they'll likely find themselves in the same position. Every team will likely have one or two players who are better and younger. While they might still consider themselves superstars (and are still paid as such), the reality is that they are more complementary players now.

The time has come for many teams to realize that they can't keep sticking with their old reliable and slowly build around them. Teams like Sacramento (Bibby, Miller, Artest), Minnesota (KG, Davis), and Seattle (Allen, Lewis) need to realize that, if they don't think they can win a title in the next three years, they need to start rebuilding today. While KG is still a franchise player, guys like Bibby and Ray Allen need to realize that they are going to be facing new roles on winning franchises. Allen is still a great player but if he is going to win a title, it will be as the second fiddle. Bibby is likely a third option on a contending team. As strange as this sounds, these guys, and many of their peers, need to learn a lesson from Stephon Marbury. The self-proclaimed best point guard in the league has overcome the selfishness that had plagued his career and is now fitting in to the Knicks system, even going so far as to say that the Knicks are Eddy Curry's team. For the first time in since he left Minnesota, Steph isn't the leading shot taker on his squad. In fact, he's third, behind Jamal Crawford and Curry.

The other poster boy for selfishness, Kobe Bryant, has matured as well but his issue is his supporting cast. The Lakers need to realize that, no matter how talented he may be, Lamar Odom simply isn't reliable enough to be a second star in the NBA anymore. On the other hand, the Lakers are risking a lot by expecting Andrew Bynum to be ready to accept the 2nd star mantle before Kobe and Odom starts to wear down from injuries.

For the Celtics and Paul Pierce, what all of this means is a change in strategy. The days of Paul holding the ball and going one-on-one are over. In fact, the days of Pierce being the man that runs the offense are likely over. This isn't as big of a deal as the offense often ran through Antoine during his time here. If the Celtics are to succeed in the near future, they are going to have to work the ball into Big Al Jefferson more often. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Big Al is capable of running the offense through the post so the C's will likely require a PG to help facillitate the offense and spread the ball between Pierce, Big Al and the other Celtics. (Rondo might be that guy but I'm not sure about that as of yet and for the next couple of years, we need a veteran PG to hold the position while Rondo develops)
As for Gerald Green, I don't think he has the IQ or intangibles to be anything more than a complementary players (albeit potentially a great one ala Rashard Lewis or Shawn Marion). Pierce and Jefferson are the core of the offense but Green will likely get a number of good looks in the flow of the offense. But the key to that is that the offense must flow and it can't be the current version in which Pierce often holds the ball nor can it be the previous Antoine/Pierce dominated offense from the beginning of this decade.

The days of Pierce, Carter, KG, etc. being the dominant force on a winning team are over. If these guys want to win, they are going to have to become part of a team. If they don't seem able to handle that reality (or if their team is unable to build a solid team around them), then they should be sent away for parts that fit.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:21 PM | Permalink

So far this season has been terrible and great. The terrible is obvious: injuries, historic losing streaks, two deaths in the Celtics family. The great, however, is also obvious: Al Jefferson has emerged, Gerald Green looks like he's learning how to actually play basketball, Rondo is looking like a keeper, and Gomes' range has improved. At the start of the season, I said that wins and losses didn't matter and that all that was really important was improvement and I stand by that. Overall, I think the injuries were a blessing in disguise. If the Celtics remained healthy, we might be able to fight for the 8th spot in the playoffs but personally, I'd prefer a shot at a true superstar at the top of the NBA draft.

There is one downside to all of this losing and that is the effect it has on your veteran superstar. And lately, the rumors of Paul Pierce's attitude have not been the greatest. A lot of his comments echo that of Vince Carter before he forced his way out of Toronto. While I think Vince is a far bigger punk than Pierce is, I also think that Paul needs at least a glimmer of hope in the last two months to get his hopes up for the near future. Al Jefferson's emergence has been impressive but he needs to do it against the top teams to help give Pierce a reason to want to stick around. While Al's rebounding has been impressive against everyone, he's about to go on a stretch where he's facing top level big men and teams that he's averaging around 12 to 14 points against. If Pierce is going to buy into the "One More Year" philosophy, Big Al is going to have to step up against these teams. I don't see Pierce sitting on the bench, looking down at Wally Szczerbiak, Tony Allen, and Kendrick Perkins and thinking to himself, "Yeah, if these guys are healthy we should be all set."

The remaining schedule is tough but if the Celtics are as good as Ainge likes to think they are, they should be able to steal a couple of quality wins and be, at the very least, respectable at the end of the season. If the season progresses as it has to this date, the Celtics beating bad or banged up teams and losing to pretty much every true playoff contender, then it might take a lot to convince Paul Pierce that one draft pick is going to make all the difference.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:56 PM | Permalink

None of the big names made a move this trade deadline which doesn't bode well for the Celtics. While the Chicago Bulls have lost a key piece of their trade flexibility (PJ Brown's expiring deal) they still have ways to make deals (either in a sign-and-trade or by moving Kirk Hinrich). The Lakers trade package is adequate but more importantly, they are in Los Angeles which could prove to be a draw for a star making trade demands. Also, Kobe seems to be maturing while Paul Pierce has been banged up and appears restless, at best. Still, many believe the Celtics will be frontrunners in the up-coming offseason's trade market but when really looking at who's out there and what the team's will want in return, the Celtics' position isn't all that rosy.

The Role of Role Players

The first issue is that most of our young guys are role players and don't carry much weight in trades for superstars. While Gomes, West, Rondo, and Perkins are solid, their inclusions in a deal isn't going to change things all that much. Rick Sund isn't going to say, "Man, I don't know about dealing Ray Allen... oh wait, you'll give us Delonte West too?!" It's possible that we could deal a couple of these guys for a better role player or a troubled talent or that we could ship two of them off to dump Wally and his contract, but given Ainge's track record, we're most likely to re-sign them or deal them for a future draft pick. So the Celtics best assets are Al Jefferson, Paul Pierce, and the first round draft pick. Gerald Green has potential but his trade value is suspect at best. J.R. Smith showed more in two years in New Orleans and was given away. Martell Webster is about at Gerald's level and I don't think anyone sees him as the key piece to Portland's chance at netting a superstar in a trade.
So if we're going for a big star, our best options are the pick, Big Al, and Theo Ratliff's expiring contract.

The Myth of the Expiring Contract

Everyone loves to taut the power of the expiring deal but looking at the current landscape of the NBA, expiring deals aren't as enticing as it once was. Teams that will be interested in expiring deals are teams that are going nowhere and want to blow their roster up, clear the cap, and start anew. Unfortunately for the Celtics, that is not the definition of either Minnesota or Indiana, who could be dealing the two biggest stars, Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal. The Pacers recently acquired Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy Jr's contracts. If the Pacers gave away O'Neal for absolutely nothing, they'd still have 4/5's of their salary cap spent up on other long term deals into the next decade. The figure is 3/5's for Minnesota who also face the harrowing reality that Kevin McHale has dealt away many of their future first round picks so blowing the team up and tanking is even less of a realistic rebuilding option. Both the Wolves and the Pacers should likely be looking for deal their star player for veterans as opposed to an expiring contracts and young players. The Utah Jazz are a winning team so while they might want to dump AK-47's contract this offseason, it is unlikely that they'd be interested in losing him for an expiring deal and some unproven youngsters. For these teams, the Celtics offer of potential and expiring deals will easily be trumped by anyone offering actual talent to help today.
The Sonics and Grizzzles are candidates to blow it up but they are also teams that need to reinvigorate their fan bases. While Gerald Green's slam dunk contest victory was fun, if he can't prove himself on the court, his value in a trade to these teams in minimal to these teams. Rashard Lewis' decision on whether or not to opt out could be huge. If he leaves, the Sonics might risk being terrible and move Ray Allen but if he doesn't, they could likely be looking for package their draft pick and a couple of their veterans to land a top player.

The Lack of Importance of Youth The other great asset the Celtics have is youth. Memphis seems to be the team most likely to be shopping for young players but they've already said that they aren't buying what we're selling. Maybe things would change if we added a top three pick into the mix but since the Grizz were holding out for both Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, both established talents, one would think that they'd likely demand Al Jefferson over Gerald Green (unless Green shows major improvement this second half). Either way, it will likely take two of our best assets to get Gasol here, leaving little left to fix a roster that is more than one star big man away from truly contending. The other team that could be interested in youth is Portland but Zach Randolph's contract is huge and the questions about his attitude are just as big, Also, they too would be more interested in Jefferson or our pick than Green or the rest of our young guys so how big of a step up it would be is questionable.

One team that might be interested in what we have to offer is Golden St. But most people don't seem all that fired up about Baron Davis. Still, you'd have to think the Nellie would be happy to open up cap space and add a young player like Gerald Green to run alongside of Jason Richardson and Monta Ellis. Then again, he might also push for the C's pick which would be a lot to give up for a gimpy kneed veteran shoot-first PG. New Jersey might blow their team up but Jason Kidd wasn't winning with Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and Nenad Krstic so I'm not sure how much better things will be in Boston.

In the end, this could be a season of blockbuster deals but it looks like Danny is going to have to roll the dice and possibly overpay for someone if we have any chance of reeling in one of the big fish. Realistically, the Celtics should probably be looking for people a notch below what they are hoping for and make moves for guys like Artest or Bibby. And if those names don't interest you, then the fact of the matter is that when you here that there's a deal with Boston involving a superstar, that star will be Paul Pierce.

Posted by SoulHonky at 11:12 PM | Permalink

To be fair, Danny Ainge deserves one more year. I know that might sound crazy coming from the guy who starts a site called Can Danny but it's true. When you look at it, it seems obvious that the fair thing to do would be to give Ainge one more offseason to make his plan come to fruition. He has spent four years collecting assets and is going to have Theo Ratliff's expiring deal to package them with. His brainchild has suffered injury and injury, which you can't hold against him. And his draft picks have panned out fairly well and are starting to mature. So yeah, in the interest of fairness, Danny deserves another year.

Unfortunately for Danny, the Celtics organization's concern shouldn't be "being fair", it should be "winning championships". While Danny's run into his fair share of bad luck, much of it, as Branch Rickey would attest, is the residue of his design. He's surrounded Paul Pierce with a team of might-be's and barely-were's so of course they are going to struggle when Pierce is out. Ainge has recently stated that he never planned on having so many young guys on the roster but no big trades have presented themselves over the last few years. Shouldn't this have been expected? While Danny has spent his many drafts on collecting assets instead of building a team, he's been picking in the mid-to-late first round, a place where you can find players but not anyone who's likely to have a ton of trade value. It's like saying that you are going to go out and sign a bunch of young role players and hope that a few of them pan out better than most people expect so you can then trade them for the players you REALLY want.

While the season hasn't gone as Ainge has planned, the reasons it hasn't were fairly evident from the outset.

Unfortunately, the ownership doesn't agree.

"You can't make a judgment on Danny right now," Pagliuca said. "It's only been four years. If Delonte [West] becomes [Mike] Bibby and Al Jefferson becomes Karl Malone, I'd say Danny has done pretty well."

This quote is distressing on many levels. Mr. Pagliuca has a legitimate point in saying that, due to Danny's go younger-than-young strategy, it's hard to judge the players he's brought in. That being said, the co-owner destroys any good will he might have coaxed from fans by making ridiculous comparisons such as Karl Malone and Mike Bibby. The capper, of course, is that even Pagliuca's delusions of grander (Malone, Bibby) don't have a championship.

The other thing that this overlooks is the logic of Danny Ainge's strategy to begin with. Maybe taking Paul Pierce's prime years and dropping them into a nursery school wasn't the best idea. Perhaps dealing for worse talent but more draft picks isn't the best way to give your superstar (and newly minted 2nd max contract player) a legitimate supporting class. Unfortunately, the ownership has an excuse for that as well. The Globe quoted Wyc Grousbeck as saying, "Most trades are sideways. I can take or leave them. They usually don't work out quite the way you hoped. I'm in favor of drafting and holding." That's basically my opinion on diets, Most of them don't change anything and don't work out. I'm in favor of changing to diet soda and not maintaining my current diet/lack of exercise.

So in the end, maybe the real reason why it's fair to give Ainge another shot is because he has a couple of imbeciles for bosses. I mean, if they are influencing the shots, nobody is going to be able to really put together a winner with them. Personally though, I'd like to think that a competent GM could talk sense into them, and at the very least not make the mistakes of Raef, Wally, Telfair, et al. While Danny might be able to turn things around, it's been his decisions that have helped drive this team deeper into the lottery. It might be nice to give him another shot but so far he's done nothing to actually deserve a last chance. This team needs to improve to be considered fair, so I don't see why being fair should be considered when dealing with the man who put the team together.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:26 AM | Permalink

In what should come as no surprise, the Celtics are not in the playoff hunt this season. And while there have been some bright lights this season, most of the news for the Celtics has been dismal. But, as expected, this is a season of growth and rebuilding so wins and losses aren't the be-all, end-all. Here are some goals for the team and the individual players for the rest of the season.

The Team: 12 wins would mean the Celtics beat everyone they should and also pulled off a couple of upsets. With Pierce back on the roster, they shouldn't be the laughingstock that they were but let's not pretend that they are a .500 team either. On the court, it would be nice to see Al Jefferson continue to be featured, which he usually isn't when Pierce is playing, and Rajon Rondo should be the main floor leader. Ideally, the team will play more team basketball, but the odds are that it will be the Pierce show, which isn't as much a knock on Pierce as it is his teammates. These guys need to shoot when open and take advantage of the openings that Pierce creates by forcing double-teams.

Paul Pierce: The main thing for the Truth is too stay healthy. The wear and tear is starting to take a toll on him and I'm worried that these injuries are the first of many. If the elbow or foot are bothering him, he should sit out. Aside from that, I'd like to see him focus on working the inside-outside game with Al Jefferson.

Al Jefferson: Again, health is an issue as Big Al seems to get banged up more often than not. But continued improvement and more consistency would be his main goals. The consistency part is hard because his touches aren't consistent but I'd like to see him demand the ball more and demand he get his touches. Consistency doesn't just come to you. His defense is getting better but he still needs to work on all aspects of this part of the game.

Rajon Rondo: His shot is a long term issue and one that he needs to spend ample amount of time on during the off-season. For now, defense and becoming a vocal leader on offense are the key. While Rondo is young and makes mistakes, let's not pretend that there's anyone on this team who's above being directed. Even Pierce makes his fair share of bad plays (forcing shots, missing open men, etc.) If Rondo is going to be the starting PG for this team, he needs to take the reins and also be able to be a force on the defensive end.

Wally Szczerbiak: Just stay healthy long enough for the Celtics to trade him.

Ryan Gomes: Gomes needs to get his mid-range jumper to go down with more consistency. He's hitting them at 41%, which is still bad enough to make him someone you can leave open. Personally, I think he's a PF so I'd like to see some more work on his post defense but the main thing is to work on his jumper.

Delonte West: Delonte needs to realize that he's a shooting guard that can get some minutes at the point. He needs to learn how to deal with getting guarded by taller guys and also needs to realize that as a shooting guard, his job is to shoot. He's been completely lost for most of this season, passing up open looks and confused as to when to pass and when to create on his own. Also, his defense needs to be more consistent. He can be servicable at times and then disappear at others.

Sebastian Telfair: Strangely enough, he needs to be more selfish. You wouldn't expect that from somebody who shares some genes with Stephon Marbury but it's true. Telfair doesn't seem to attack the hoop or shoot his foul line jumper until the game is out of hand. Like Rondo's shot, his defense is something that is going to have to be a major focal point this offseason but right now, I'm not sure there's much he can do besides at least trying to stay in front of his man.

Gerald Green: I don't really care about the dunk contest. The bigger issue is that Nate Robinson could thrown down his reverse-toss dunk two or three times in the time it would likely take Gerald to finish the skills competition. Gerald simply doesn't know how to play basketball. It's pretty stunning how bad his skills are. For now, Gerald just needs to learn where to be in the offense and what his role is. Dribbling and throwing entry passes amongst other things (if not everything) can be addressed in the offseason.

Kendrick Perkins: Get healthy and gain some consistency with his offensive game. I don't mind his abiliy on the offensive end but he can go from looking like a legit threat to resembling a retarded kid throwing leaves by the side of the road.

Brian Scalabrine: He's playing with a little more confidence but his three point shot still needs some work. He is what he is and right now, unfortunately, what he is is a Celtic.

Leon Powe: Stay in shape, save your money. I like Leon and hope he gets a shot in the league but for now, he seems anchored to the pine.

Allan Ray: I don't care.

Michael Olowokandi: I doubt he cares so I won't either.

Theo Ratliff: Call Lavar Arrington and other waived NFL players and tell them how great guarenteed contracts are.

Posted by SoulHonky at 08:40 AM | Permalink

With the new year upon us, it is time to take stock of where the Celtics are and how we look for the future. The present is obviously not a rosy one and it's time to figure out what exactly we have (or at least, try to figure it out as best we can since so many of our players are young and still living off of their "potential"). The Star: Paul Pierce is the Celtics. That fact has become painfully obvious since his injury. Also painfully obvious is the fact that stars on their second max contract don't seem to be getting the great offers that one would hope for so dealing Pierce may be out of the question. One red flag for me is the fact that Pierce the Ironman is now getting dinged up more often. Last season's elbow issue and now his foot problem might be nothing but odds are that a warrior like Pierce might just be breaking down as he reaches his 30's. While I've been a proponent of dumping Pierce for youth, right now I think that we simply won't get enough to make it worthwhile. We'll be essentially putting all of our hope in the lottery, which is a shaky proposition. Odds are we'd probably be looking at two to three years of terrible basketball before we are close to righting the ship. And that's if we draft well. I think it is time to build around Paul Pierce and get him the help that he needs today.

The Point: While there may be hope for Rajon Rondo, this is our most glaring weakness, a depressing fact seeing as we supposedly dealt with this issue in the offseason. Sebastian Telfair is, at best, a backup point guard who doesn't seem capable of running an offense, let alone making players around him better. Delonte West isn't a pure point guard but could be a nice backup. Who knows what Rondo can give us but I think his lack of a shot is problematic. If our offense is going to revolve around Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson, then our PG needs to be able to hit kick out three pointers. That's not Rajon's game. Odds are that Rondo will be a solid backup, giving us a nice duo of West and Rondo off the pine, but he isn't the PG of the future IMO. Danny Ainge has to address the point guard issue before anything else can happen.

The Post: Big Al Jefferson is the starting center of the future for the Boston Celtics. Unless we get Greg Oden or another center falls in our lap, I think Big Al is likely the man in the middle. And if that is how it is going to play out, then Ryan Gomes becomes a backup PF and we need to acquire a inside/outside player to handle the 4. Someone like AK47 would be ideal. Perkins and Gomes are a good enough backup duo although another banger who can defend quicker PF's would be nice to have as an option off the bench.

The Swingmen: The most difficult decision is what to do with Gerald Green. Personally, I think he is going to be a pure scorer who adds little else to the game. I'm just not sure if that's what we need alongside Pierce. If we can get a good fit at the point or the PF spot by dealing Green, I think we have to. Wally is a nice weapon to have come off the bench but I'm not sure how happy he'd be about that and with cheap owners, we can't really afford to have a big contract on our 6th man. Tony Allen is solid and could be a nice guy to have coming off the pine but he still is a bit too out of control for my taste. In the end, this spot will be the last one for us to fill as what we need here depends on what we get at the point and the 4. But one thing that I think is a must is that the guy we get needs to be able to play defense. Our defense is laughable and we need at least one guy that we can stick on the opposing scorer to give us a fighting chance.

So right now, I think we have our starting C, two of our backup big men, our captain/superstar, and a couple of backup PG's. That's a lot of holes to have after three and a half years of rebuilding.

Posted by SoulHonky at 12:07 AM | Permalink

Would you deal: Wally, Gomes, West for Ron Artest, Kenny Thomas, and a future first round draft pick. If the plan is to try to make a run in the pathetic Atlantic, this could be the first move as it wouldn't cost too much and it would improve our defense which is horrific. The deal definitely comes with its question marks but I think taking a shot on Ron is worth it.

I'm not sure we could work a trade like this with Ratliff but I'm sure that would be Danny's first option. You'd probably lose the future first in that case and might have to give up a pick as well. Or we could try to replace Kenny Thomas with 'Reef. The reason against it for Sacramento is that Eric Musselman is a defensive minded coach and Wally just isn't good on defense. Still, with the Maggette deal seemingly dead, perhaps we could buy low on Ron-Ron.

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:01 PM | Permalink

The Celtics don't even try. I can live with a team that is too young, too inexperienced, hell, even just not that good. But to go out there like you've already lost, like the Celtics have done since Pierce went down, is inexcusable. Ainge and Rivers have to go. This is an embarrassment to the Celtics. Wods can't express how bad this team is.

And while I've often felt like we need to deal Paul, I think we might want to see what we can get for Gerald and Jefferson now. The problem with rebuilding is that we are essentially an expansion team. And I don't mean like a team that came into the league two years ago, I mean a team that hasn't yet started the NBA and needs to build from scratch. Gerald Green is like Michael Bishop; ridiculous athleticism, zero sense of the game. Telfair is a backup PG, as is Rondo. Big Al is solid but nothing special.

If we can't get the right pieces to build around Paul, then I saw blow the whole thing up, commit to being laughable for two to four years and try to get the top picks of the next few drafts. The current course has failed. How Danny Ainge has a job right now is beyond me. He and Doc Rivers are the worst GM/coach combo in the NBA. Bar none.

Posted by SoulHonky at 07:47 AM | Permalink

For the past four years, it's been said that Danny Ainge's plan was to acquire assets so that he could make the big trade to put the Celtics over. Two things happened in that time, the Celtics became worse and are now two trades away from really contending and now, one of those big trades has presented itself. While I was not a fan of the AI deal, it seems odd that Danny refused to pull the trigger when a deal like this is what he'd been waiting for.

If Danny isn't willing to give up Gerald or Big Al unless he's getting back someone better than AI, then I think we should all wake up to the reality that the team we have is the team we'll be having for quite some time. Unless a KG or JO deal come about (and it should be interesting to see just how much we'd offer for Jermaine), the Gerald/Pierce/Jefferson trio is our core for the present and the future.

While I know most people like to use the impending new year as a time to look back, I think it's reached the hour in which C's fans have to look forward. Where do we go from here? The most obvious move is for the Celtics to try to upgrade at point guard and add a more athletic big man (one who can defend centers AND hit the high post jumper). With Al holding his own in the middle, it might be time to look to find a new power forward. Everyone loves Gomes but he is a bench player. Telfair, Rondo, and West are nice but I think the best case scenario for any of them would be that they might become a consistent NBA starter by next midseason and I'm not sure if we want to waste any more of Pierce's prime waiting on young guys to mature.

Of course, all of this could be yet another deferral from Ainge. NEXT YEAR, when hopefully JO or KG will be moved, is when we make our big push. If that's the case, it will be another year of hope and the status quo.

Posted by SoulHonky at 04:41 PM | Permalink

There's an old story, often retold, about The Three Envelopes which I think pretty much epitomizes the reign of Danny Ainge. Here's a modern day version of the story.

A fellow had just been hired as the new CEO of a large high tech corporation. The CEO who was stepping down met with him privately and presented him with three numbered envelopes. "Open one of these if you run up against a problem you don't think you can solve," he said. Well, things went along pretty smoothly, but six months later, sales took a downturn and he was really catching a lot of heat. About at his witís end, he remembered the envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out the first envelope. The message read, "Blame your predecessor." The new CEO called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the previous CEO. Satisfied with his comments, the press -- and Wall Street -- responded positively, sales began to pick up and the problem was soon behind him.
About a year later, the company was again experiencing a slight dip in sales, combined with serious product problems. Having learned from his previous experience, the CEO quickly opened the second envelope. The message read, "Reorganize." This he did, and the company quickly rebounded.
After several consecutive profitable quarters, the company once again fell on difficult times. The CEO went to his office, closed the door and opened the third envelope. The message said, "Prepare three envelopes."

Ainge has blamed his predecessors, he's reorganized his house (sending off Ricky and Blount for Wally), and we are worse than ever. It's time for Danny to open the third envelope.

Posted by SoulHonky at 12:56 AM | Permalink

The easiest month of the Celtics schedule is over and done and the C's find themselves tied for last place. Thankfully, the upcoming month has us facing three Atlantic division foes and the Bobcats again so it isn't as if the schedule is impossible. Still, this is a team going nowhere fast.

Doc Rivers has arguably the worst job in the NBA. Is he trying to win or help cultivate young talent? Rajon Rondo is the fan favorite but Delonte West might actually be the better suited PG for the offense we have. Brian Scalabrine is one of the headier players on an absent-minded team but do you play him or go with young guys like Leon Powe? While Doc's job is tough, let's not act like he's a victim here. He abandoned the running game after a few games, inexplicably thought small ball would work, and has taken a month to come to a makeshift rotation. And then there's the whole issue of our offense not matching our talent. Clearly Doc is a problem.

But he isn't the only problem. While our offense doesn't fit our roster, it's hard to really come up with one. Telfair and Rondo are best creating with the ball. Paul Pierce is better with the ball in his hands. All three of them should be attacking the hoop but our big men are mostly low post guys who can't hit the mid-range jumper. People like to sing praises of Don Nelson and Jerry Sloan but the fact is that their rosters actually make some sense. The players in Boston, quite simply, aren't a team.

But none of this is news. The Celtics were an assortment of mismatched talent to start the season and they are playing like a bad team a month in. More problematic is the fact that Ainge might think we're still that One Trade Away and make a move soon. The thing is, we're three moves away from really being any good. While dealing for a more proven veteran might give us a chance to compete in the pathetic Eastern Conference, we won't be a serious title contender and, in the end, all we'll accomplish is getting ourselves a worse draft pick.

A month in and nothing has changed for me. I still believe we should blow this team up; we'll never win a title with Paul Pierce bringing in close to 20 million dollars a year.

Posted by SoulHonky at 12:32 AM | Permalink

Danny Ainge offered the house for Pau Gasol. And odds are, he'll have to give up the house to get the young Spaniard. While the thought of adding Pau is great, the reality is that there are some very long odds against it. Unless we find a third team interested in getting involved, the package that we have to offer probably won't be enough to steal away Gasol.

This highlights a problem with our "asset" strategy: other teams have assets as well and probably won't be gung-ho about trading a star for more guys that might or might not pan out. In this case, the Grizzlies have Kyle Lowry, Rudy Gay, Hakim Warrick, Alexander Johnson, and Lawrence Roberts. If they are trading Gasol, they'll likely want a blue-chipper who can be the star to lead these guys. What they would likely shy away from is adding more middling young talent and essentially becoming Boston South. While our young talent might be a bit better than the Grizz's, the difference is not enough for them to give up their only star player. The Grizz would probably push for, at least, Jefferson, Green, West, the unprotected 2007 pick and Theo Ratliff, the remainder of whose salary the Celtics would have to pay. The last part might be what ruins the deal as I can't see Wyc agreeing to once again pay for someone who doesn't play for the C's.

Like the Boozer and Iverson rumors, this deal is going to be a lot of hype, some false hope, but it ain't happening.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:34 AM | Permalink

A few years ago, there were two things that I didn't think could get any worse. The first was Hollywood movies and the second was the Eastern Conference. Astonishingly, this year has us facing what appears to be the nadir for both. Name a best picture nominee for 2006. The Departed? Little Miss Sunshine? The Prestige? Not much there. Name a great team in the East. Cleveland? Orlando? Miami? So far not so good.

The mighty have fallen in the East and nobody has stepped up to take their place. Cleveland, Chicago and Orlando are the best candidates but they are still a player or two away from truly contending in the West. Cleveland supporting cast is more Pips than Pippen, Chicago can't score (yet somehow felt it wise to dump J.R. Smith for nothing), and Orlando is too young. Meanwhile, Miami is looking a step slower, Detroit is a champion on the verge of rebuilding, and Indiana is a mess of similarly talent players and bad contracts. Perhaps most surprising of all is the New Jersey Nets, a team that could easily implode if they don't get things together. Vince is a free agent and Kidd's never been afraid to wonder aloud about more victorious pastures. Somehow, the "elite" of the Eastern Conference has turned into a mix of Has Beens and Not Quites.

However, even in its darkest days, the East always seemed to have one thing going for it and that was superior coaching. But even this has shifted. Over the last decade, five coaches have led an Eastern Conference team to the NBA Finals, one is Pat Riley, one is Larry Brown, and the other three now coach in the West (Byron Scott, Jeff Van Gundy, and Phil Jackson). The first coach fired in the Western Conference would probably have a good shot at being the best coach in the Atlantic Division. (Dwayne Casey being the obvious exception).

I'm not sure what can be done to remedy this problem but the simple fact is this; whoever just misses the playoffs in the West could have had a shot to make the Finals in the East.

Posted by SoulHonky at 04:09 AM | Permalink

First off, it was a huge night for Gerald Green. True he only had nine points but he scored his first basked from inside the arc. Before this game he was 0 - 7 from 2, and 7 - 11 from 3. The key stat for the Celtics seems to be Paul Pierce's turnovers. Only one tonight. It seems obvious but people need to remind Paul that he shouldn't force things because the closer he gets to double digit turnovers, the worse our chances of winning become. Delonte West has woken up and Bassy stuck it to his old mates. A big win before the key matchup, New York vs. Boston. The Knicks are coming off of a blowout win in Miami so this game could decide who is the most mediocre team in the Atlantic.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:32 AM | Permalink

Just when Zach Randolph was getting some trade value a report like this comes out. Although I have to say that the rigid nature of legal writing plus the loose morals of Zach Randolph equals comic gold.

Defendant Zachary ("Zach") McKenzie Randolph ("Randolph") is a resident of West Lim, Clackamas County, Oregon. According to the police report ofthe investigation into potential charges of sexual assault and soliciting prostitution against Randolph, one of Randolph's acquaintances that the police interviewed reported that Randolph "considers himself a gangster" and that he says on occasion ''l'm a gangster not a Blazer. " Notwithstanding Randolph's own description of his position, Randolph is, in fact. employed by the Portland Traii Blazers to play basketball and to represent the Trail Blazers in the community.

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The link to the whole story is here at TrueHoop.

Posted by SoulHonky at 09:57 AM | Permalink

To start off, this was a great game for the Celtics. People are showing improvement, everything seemed to click, and it was a TEAM effort. This is what Celtics basketball should look like.

"Maybe these pieces don't fit together. I still think that they can and I still think they do, but you have to bring the commitment, you have to bring unselfishness and you have to bring the passion." Who said that? A Celtics blogger? Nope, that was Rick Carlisle talking about his own Pacer team. Ladies and gentleman of Celtic nation, if there's a team we should be happy we aren't fans of, it's the Indiana Pacers.

Poor Rick Carlisle. He has a team with limited talent in Detroit, helps make them a 50 win team and is shown the door before getting a chance to get a shot at the title. Now he has a lot of talent but all of them fit the same role. His point guards, Jamaal Tinsley and Sarunas Jasikevicius simply have too many problems to survive in the Rick Carlisle system without some backup. The Granger/Harrington/JO backline is talented but not strong enough to man the paint against all those that blow past the PG's. The truth of the matter is that, besides O'Neal, the most important player on the Pacers is Darrell Armstrong. The Pacers are pretty much the picture of what you don't want your team to end up as: a squad with no chemistry, players with all the same talents, and nobody to lead them. (Oh, and their only big time prospect plays the same position as the team's best players.)

The Pacers will likely be much better than the Celtics, record-wise, this season but Indiana's ceiling is south of a title and is descending. Donnie Walsh is going to have to swing some moves to right this ship.

Posted by SoulHonky at 06:04 AM | Permalink

The C's picked up a win last night but it wasn't a game without it's problems. The Celtics have now officially given up (thankfully) small ball and (unfortunately) trying to run. (Ainge went on EEI saying we don't have the players to have a running game.) Rajon Rondo has found the pine and Delonte West has regained his spot as our closing point guard (Telfair still starts). As much as I don't think Delonte's a point guard, I do think that to play Rondo right now means you have to switch up your system a bit. His lack of shooting ability allows his man to clog the lane or double elsewhere. This creates a problem that IMO is bigger than the positives Rondo supplies. Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen are not only playing, but they are on the court together. West, Allen, Green, Veal, and Kandi has got to be the worst rotation any team will put out in the NBA this season.

On a side note, the Suns, Mavs, and Nuggets continue to struggle. If this goes on any longer, David Stern needs to create a Duncan Watch to make sure that these teams' stars don't suddenly all get "hurt" with season ending injuries in hopes of landing Oden.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:03 PM | Permalink

Denzel's not the only one experiencing Deja Vu. With Doc's 0 - 3 start reminding a lot of people of his final 11 games in Orlando, one can only look at the current Celtics team and wonder why we didn't see it coming. While most of our guys have more potential, our roster is strikingly similar to the Orlando team that drove Doc to resign.

Tracy McGrady = Paul Pierce: The superstar that has to carry the way.
Juwan Howard = Wally Szczerbiak: The so-so second fiddle that just isn't good enough.
Drew Gooden = Sebastian Telfair: The talented youngster who has a little attitude and a lot to learn.(Okay, Drew had a LOT of attitude)
Tyronn Lue = Rajon Rondo: Lightening bugs who pester their foes on defense.
Keith Bogans = Ryan Gomes: A solid player who probably should be playing as much as he is.
Gordan Giricek = Delonte West: The talented SG who just can't put it together.
Rod Strickland = Theo Ratliff: The veteran on his last legs.
DeShawn Stevenson = Gerald Green: The raw high schooler.
Andrew DeClercq = Kendrick Perkins: The hard-working big man who... works hard.
Zaza Pachulia = Al Jefferson: The talented but slow-to-develop big man.
Steven Hunter = Tony Allen: He has the talent. He has even more athleticism. He doesn't have the results.
Shammond Williams = Allan Ray: The shooting guard in a point guard's body.
Donnell Harvey = Leon Powe: The athletic sleeper who should and maybe could but won't get the chance.
Reece Gaines = Brian Scalabrine: The disappointing tweener.
Sean Rooks = Kandiman: Big man who could have been something and now is just happy to be in the league.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:11 AM | Permalink

Small ball struggles, point guards still learning, Doc still subbing irrationally, Pierce still leading, Wally still getting his 20 but not looking all that impressive, Tony Allen living down to expectations and Gerald Green sitting all game. Oh, and the Hornets supposed big offseason looks disappointing.

There wasn't a lot that wasn't to be expected in this game. Delonte was a surprise no-show, which was a shame since he actually got the start. I know its early but Sebastian Telfair is not a pass first point guard and I'm not sure he has the mentality to ever really become one. I disagree with much of what Bill Simmons writes (for instance, bashing Eric Snow as a starting PG but then picking the Cavs to get to the Finals) but I think he's write that Bassy will likely be a Barbosa-like backup. The question is whether he can accept that role. One of the highlights of the game was Al Jefferson who looked like he did his rookie season, which is a step-up from last year's campaign. If he can stay healthy, he should be, at least, ready to put up Eddy Curry-type numbers. Rajon Rondo was solid as rookie point guards go and still looks like Ainge's best move on draft day.

All in all, it was a game to forget, which for a young team means one that they need to learn from and build on. It definitely started on the wrong foot and one can only hope that the small ball lineup was more prevalent because of the lack of Theo Ratliff. While I would stick with Bassy at the point (and replace West with Gomes in the starting lineup), it is looking like, if all things continue on this path and the C's improve, the season will end with Rondo, Pierce, Wally, Big Al, and Perkins as our starters.

Posted by SoulHonky at 05:16 AM | Permalink